New Presidential Delivery Unit not duplication – Felix Kwakye Ofosu

Government has been defending the creation of the new Presidential Delivery Unit saying it is not a duplication of functions, nor a re-introduction of a scrapped Policy Monitoring and Evaluation Unit.

Deputy Information Minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu has argued that monitoring is different from delivery but explains that the Presidential Delivery Unit will “monitor” the progress of Government projects and policies “in real time”.

Dr. Tony Aidoo who headed the Policy Monitoring and Evaluation Unit publicly complained that the lack of funds for his Unit was making it difficult for it to live up to its mandate.

Tony Aidoo told the media that problems such as non-payment of salaries of his staff for the last six months were not issues that he would normally put out for public consumption. He, however, said his outfit had been “abandoned by the NDC administration for no apparent reason”.

His portfolio was later scrapped.President Mahama has now reassigned his deputy Chief of Staff, Dr. Valerie Sawyer to the Presidential Delivery Unit.

However, Political Science lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Dr Richard Amoako-Baah says the new unit is a replica of existing ministries and the three wise men tasked to coordinate priority projects.

Dr. Richard Amoako-Baah said the new unit is confusing. He suspects the Unit was created because Dr. Valerie Sawyer who was deputy Chief of Staff may have realized and “complained” that she “doesn’t do anything”.

According to the lecturer, that position of deputy Chief of Staff was scrapped because of this realization.

“You don’t need a deputy Chief of Staff because the Chief of Staff has his own assistants to work with”, he explained to Joy News.

In response, the Deputy Information Minister has explained that with the new unit, President Mahama will not have to wait for his ministers and other government officials to know what is happening to programmes Government was pursuing.

The deputy minister says the President bears “ultimate responsibility” for his government and needs to get a sense of progress under his government.